Look! Shiny! Elvis! Squirrel!

Distraction has been used tactically since day 1 in the garden. And today it is often referred to in movies, cartoons, and memes. The cartoon movie UP used ‘Squirrel!’ Cat memes often use ‘Shiny!’ In Kelly’s Heroes the protagonists escaped by pointing out an American General and saying to the French villagers ‘DeGaulle!” Just about every time something big that is really catchy but not of great import hits the news and commands all the coverage, I wonder “What is this being used to distract my attention from?” Consider the widespread use of distraction as you read this article: